Psychology Commons^™

I Can Play All Night: Examining The Relationship Between Perceived Tolerance And Drinking Game Alcohol Consumption, Phillip J. Ehret, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer

Heads Up!

The present study examined the impact of perceived tolerance to alcohol on maximum alcohol consumption while playing drinking games. Participants were student drinkers (N=3,546) from two west coast universities. Among these students, 69.2% (n=2,290) reported playing a drinking game in the past month. Analyses demonstrated game players had higher perceived tolerances, and consumed more alcohol than non-game players. A regression model revealed that higher levels of perceived tolerance were related to increased maximal alcohol consumption while playing drinking games. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Oprm1 Gene Variation Influences Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function In Response To A Variety Of Stressors In Rhesus Macaques, Melanie L. Schwandt, Stephen G. Lindell, James Dee Higley, Stephen J. Suomi, Markus Heilig, Christina S. Barr

Faculty Publications

The endogenous opioid system is involved in modulating a number of behavioral and physiological systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In humans, a functional variant in the OPRM1 gene (OPRM1 A118G) is associated with a number of outcomes, including attenuated HPA axis responses to stress. A nonsynonymous variant (OPRM1 C77G) in the rhesus macaque has been shown to have similar effects in vivo to the human variant. The current study investigated whether OPRM1 C77G influences HPA axis response to stress in rhesus macaques. We analyzed plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels measured in response to three different stressors: 1) …

Predicting Driving After Drinking Over Time Among College Students: The Emerging Role Of Injunctive Normative Perceptions, Joseph W. Labrie, Lucy E. Napper, Tehniat M. Ghaidarov

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Objective:

Despite prevention efforts, driving after drinking (DAD) is a prevalent high-risk behavior among college students and is a leading cause of death and injury. Examination of factors predicting future DAD behavior is necessary to develop efficacious targeted interventions to reduce this behavior among college students. The current study evaluated demographic, social cognitive, and behavioral predictors of DAD using longitudinal data.

Method:

Participants were 655 nonabstaining college students (67.2% female; 60.3% White; Mage = 19.3 years) who completed online surveys at two time points 12 months apart.

Results:

Results revealed that participants consistently overestimated their peers’ approval (injunctive norms) …

Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested For Domestic Violence, Jeniimarie Febres

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of batterer intervention programs at reducing future intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration is limited. Learning about perpetrators to more comprehensively address issues relevant to their aggressive tendencies could aid in the development of more effective treatments. This study examined the prevalence of adulthood animal abuse perpetration and its association with psychological and physical IPV perpetration, antisocial traits, and alcohol use in a sample of men arrested for domestic violence (N = 307). Forty-one percent (n = 125) of the men committed at least one act of animal abuse since the age of 18, in contrast to …

Prevalence, Social Contexts, And Risks For Prepartying Among Ethnically Diverse College Students, Andrew P. Paves, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie

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Prepartying, also known as pre-gaming, has emerged as a high-risk drinking event among U.S. college students. Research on factors related to prepartying behavior is in its relative infancy. The present study provides prevalence rates for prepartying across ethnic groups and examines how social context (whether prepartying took place with primarily male, female, or coed groups) and demographic factors may influence prepartying behavior. Participants were students from two West Coast universities (N = 2,546) whom identified as White, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA), Hispanic/Latino(a), or African American. The percentage of students who reported prepartying at least once in the …

Alexithymia In Relation To Parental Alcoholism, Everyday Frontal Lobe Functioning And Alcohol Consumption In A Non-Clinical Sample, Michael Lyvers, Roy Onuoha, Fred Thorberg, Christina Samios

Mike Lyvers

Background: Recent studies have indicated that 45–67% of those in treatment for alcohol use disorders suffer from alexithymia, a multifaceted personality trait characterized by difficulties identifying and describing emotions and an externally oriented cognitive style. The high reported prevalence rates of alexithymia among those with alcohol dependence led to speculation that alexithymia is a personality dimension that may predispose to risky or problematic alcohol use.Methods: This notion was examined in 314 adult volunteers (54% female) aged 18–45 years (M=27.6 years), all of whom reported at least occasional alcohol consumption,who completed online surveys assessing alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, or TAS-20), parental …

Alexithymia In Relation To Parental Alcoholism, Everyday Frontal Lobe Functioning And Alcohol Consumption In A Non-Clinical Sample, Michael Lyvers, Roy Onuoha, Fred Thorberg, Christina Samios

Christina Samios

Background: Recent studies have indicated that 45–67% of those in treatment for alcohol use disorders suffer from alexithymia, a multifaceted personality trait characterized by difficulties identifying and describing emotions and an externally oriented cognitive style. The high reported prevalence rates of alexithymia among those with alcohol dependence led to speculation that alexithymia is a personality dimension that may predispose to risky or problematic alcohol use.Methods: This notion was examined in 314 adult volunteers (54% female) aged 18–45 years (M=27.6 years), all of whom reported at least occasional alcohol consumption,who completed online surveys assessing alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, or TAS-20), parental …

Estimates And Influences Of Reflective Opposite-Sex Norms On Alcohol Use Among A High-Risk Sample Of College Students: Exploring Greek-Affiliation And Gender Effects, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac, Ashley Sessoms, Jessica Cail

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Reflective opposite sex norms are behavior that an individual believes the opposite sex prefers them to do. The current study extends research on this recently introduced construct by examining estimates and influences of reflective norms on drinking in a large high-risk heterosexual sample of male and female college students from two universities. Both gender and Greek-affiliation served as potential statistical moderators of the reflective norms and drinking relationship. All participants (N = 1790; 57% female) answered questions regarding the amount of alcohol they believe members of the opposite sex would like their opposite sex friends, dates, and sexual partners …

An Experimental Test Of Trauma-Relevant Cue Exposure And Desire For Alcohol Among Adolescents, Heidemarie Blumenthal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A burgeoning literature suggests a linkage between adolescent traumatic event exposure and problematic alcohol use. Research conducted with adults indicates that exposure to trauma-relevant cues elicits a desire to drink; however, no work has examined this association among adolescents. The current study was designed to build upon and extend this line of work. Participants were 72 community-recruited adolescents (Mage = 16.19; 34.7% girls). Trauma-exposed (n = 47) and non-exposed (n = 25) youth were assigned to either a 3-minute experimental (voluntary hyperventilation) or control task (low-arousal picture viewing). Desire to drink was assessed (1) prior to task assignment, and (2) …

Global Sleep Quality As A Moderator Of Alcohol Consumption And Consequences In College Students, Shannon R. Kenney, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Andy T. Pham

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The authors examined the relationship between global sleep quality and alcohol risk, including the extent to which global sleep quality moderated the relationship between alcohol use and drinking-related consequences. Global sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and alcohol-related consequences were assessed using the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI). The sample consisted of 261 college students (61.3% female, 58.2% Caucasian) who completed online surveys. Using a four-step hierarchical multiple regression model, global sleep quality was found to predict alcohol consequences, over and above assessed covariates (demographics and weekly drinking). Further, global sleep quality emerged as a …

Drinking To Distraction: Does Alcohol Increase Attentional Bias In Adults With Adhd?, Walter Roberts, Mark T. Fillmore, Richard Milich

Psychology Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that social drinkers continue to show attentional bias toward alcohol-related stimuli even after consuming a moderate dose of alcohol. In contrast, little is known about how alcohol acutely affects attentional bias in groups at risk to develop alcohol-related problems, such as adults with attentiondeficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Such individuals may show increased attentional bias following alcohol relative to nonclinical controls. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining acute alcohol effects on attentional bias in 20 social drinkers with ADHD and 20 social drinkers with no history of ADHD. Participants performed a visual-probe task after receiving …

The Effects Of Adolescent Binge Drinking On Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Cells In The Amygdala And Social Predictors Of Alcohol Intake In Male And Female Rats, Chrisanthi Karanikas

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Alcohol is one of the most common drugs of choice among adolescents. Normally, the method of consumption is drinking large quantities of alcohol in short periods of time, otherwise known as “binge drinking.” Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) stress peptide producing cells in central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has been implicated in behavioral responses to stress and addiction. The goals of this thesis were to determine the effects of voluntary binge drinking in adolescence and vapor-induced alcohol dependence in adulthood on CRF cells in the CeA. These studies were done using an operant model of voluntary binge drinking in rodents …

Reduction In Drinking Days And Binge Drinking Days Among Patients Receiving Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment Services During An Emergency Department Visit: Six-Month Results, Joanna Akin, Aaron Johnson, J. Paul Seale, Gabriel P. Kuperminc

Psychology Faculty Publications

Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is effective in many health-care settings. Previous research has shown significant decreases in harmful drinking due to SBI, but many studies, particularly in emergency/trauma settings, did not use a control group. Thus, it is unclear if observed decreases in harmful drinking are due to the intervention or other factors such as the hospital visit, the substance use assessment, or simply regression to the mean. This project assessed the effectiveness of an SBI program implemented at an urban hospital in the US state of Georgia.

Classroom Based Substance Use Prevention Programs: A Meta-Analysis, Alyssa R. Boucher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper reports on a meta-analysis performed on forty one studies evaluating classroom-based substance abuse primary prevention programs. Studies included were delivered in a classroom to the general student body, had a primary focus of substance abuse prevention, measured behavior change, and were published in peer-reviewed outlets between 2000 and 2011. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis was used to calculate a random effects Cohen’s d and moderator analyses. Results indicated a significant effect for alcohol (d=0.10) and tobacco (d=0.09) in multi-target interventions. Specific program components and characteristics associated with more effective prevention programs are discussed. Despite the best efforts of those who develop …

Is Conformity A Mediating Variable On Increased Risk-Taking Behavior Across Years Of Membership In The Greek System?, Chloe Lee-Zorn, William C. Buhrow, Brett Vicario

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

In the college subculture of Greek Life, members adhere to specific rules and norms in order to remain accepted, which could be indicative of conformity. This notion raises the question: what is the role of conformity on the risk taking behaviors of alcohol usage and sexual promiscuity as well as on the academic performance across years of membership? The article examines conformity in 31 fraternity members, cross-sectionally, using a compressed longitudinal design and hypothesizes members develop lower levels of conformity after initiation, making them less susceptible to risk taking behaviors such as binge drinking, sexual promiscuity and decreased academic performance. …

Attentional Bias And Alcohol Abuse, Jessica Jane Weafer

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Selective attention towards alcohol-related cues (i.e., “attentional bias”) is thought to reflect increased incentive motivational value of alcohol and alcohol cues acquired through a history of heavy alcohol use, and as such attentional bias is considered to be a clinically relevant factor contributing to alcohol use disorders. This dissertation consists of two studies that investigated specific mechanisms through which attentional bias might serve to promote alcohol abuse. Study 1 compared magnitude of attentional bias in heavy (n = 20) and light (n = 20) drinkers following placebo and two doses of alcohol (0.45 g/kg and 0.65 g/kg). Heavy drinkers displayed …

The Impact Of Parental Alcohol Use On Alcohol-Related Cognitions, Cathryn Frances Glanton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research was designed to examine parental and cognitive factors that are structurally related to intention for alcohol consumption in college students as well as potential gender differences in these relationships. Multiple-group comparison was used in structural equation modeling to assess data-to-model fit of the hypothesized model. Perceived parental alcohol use, positive expectancies, abstinence self-efficacy in social situations, and intent to drink alcohol were structurally modeled and examined. Seven hundred and fourteen college students completed a number of self-report measures in the data collection stage of the study. Results showed good fit indices of the hypothesized model in both men …